Esophageal Digestive System Disorders
Belonging to the upper gastrointestinal tract, the esophagus – in simplest terms – is the connector that leads from the oral cavity to the stomach. It is responsible for moving the food which is ingested with the help of muscular contractions. Some patients are surprised to hear that there are several digestive system disorders that appear to target specifically the esophagus, yet when you glean a thorough understanding of their causality, the presence of these ailments makes sense.
At the top of the list of esophageal digestive system disorders is acid reflux. Prevalent in infants, this disorder is characterized by small amounts of stomach acid leaking from the stomach into the esophagus and from there even reaching as far as the back of the throat. Mild to moderate cases may be known as heartburn and may be ignored while more severe cases have been known to require medication.
While the occasional bout of heartburn is normal and usually is experienced in response to a certain kind of food ingested, prolonged or repeat exposure of the esophagus to the stomach’s acid will result in the a deterioration of the esophageal lining. This is dangerous and must be avoided! Visit your physician immediately to learn methods of avoiding repeat heartburn and to treat it when it does occur.
Esophageal cancer is one of the deadliest and it claims the lives of about 75% of those undergoing treatment. The initial symptoms usually are concurrent with advanced cancerous growths and are associated with difficult or painful swallowing, a change in vocal chord timbre, and also nausea and involuntary regurgitation. As the cancer progresses, it will invade the liver and also the lungs. By and large men are more likely than women to suffer from this esophageal digestive system disorder and the use of tobacco, alcohol and the ingestion of nitrate containing food products have been identified as risk factors.
Another one of the digestive system disorders associated with the esophagus is the hiatal hernia which describes a protuberance of the stomach. Acid reflux is one of the most common symptoms and frequent heartburn may also be associated with it. It is interesting to note that coughing and straining brought on by constipation has been associated with this ailment. In those cases where no acute discomfort is felt, treatment is usually not indicated while for those who experience strong symptoms of the condition the only answer is surgery. The latter is indicated primarily to protect the lining of the esophagus which is overly exposed to the stomach’s acid.
Mallory-Weiss syndrome is directly related to food choices made by a patient and generally speaking those imbibing alcohol liberally and to excess and those following fad diets leading to eating disorders are more likely to suffer from this condition. Vomiting of blood is one of the surefire signs that this syndrome may be the disorder the patient is suffering with, and it is directly related to the tearing of the mucosa. Treatment is available and nutritional counseling as well as alcohol cessation are the only methods of avoiding future occurrences of this illness.
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